GREAT ZOOKS

There are a few mishaps as a bunch of Jimnys tackle one of Lesotho’s premier off-road challenges, Baboon’s Pass

- Adam Alcock

Call it the Mountain Kingdom, or the Switzerland of Africa. These are all well-earned nicknames for Lesotho, as its dramatic peaks and remote highlands are difficult to traverse on foot, let alone by wheeled transport. So it’s no surprise Lesotho offers some of southern Africa’s most impressive off-roading trails.

The still untarred Sani Pass is perhaps the best known. But tucked away high in the Maseru district is Baboon’s Pass, another of Lesotho’s especially demanding ‘roads’. It’s known as a car breaker for good reason. (Just ask Anton Willemse, who drove it and reported on his experience in our June 2019 issue. – Ed) This 26-kilometre pass has gained notoriety for pushing both driver and 4x4 to the limit. Nevertheless, in a series of events that can only be described as an epic adventure, a group of 13 adrenaline junkies attempted to conquer this beast of a challenge. The difference this time was that most of the convoy would be made up of little Suzuki Jimnys.

The planning

Six months of planning went into this arduous journey up the mountain pass. The first steps were to put together a team of off-roading gurus, and a few enthusiastic tagalongs, map out a route and get the vehicles properly serviced and modified to cope with the conditions.

Altogether, the convoy was to be made up of four Suzuki Jimnys (dubbed Trapsuutjie, Kerneels, Jack Russel, and Nomad), a Suzuki motocross bike (codenamed II), a Land Rover Defender (Lily), and two Jeep Wranglers (known as Bumblebee and Carlos).